


Skyrim: Deadshot

by Zombbean



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, This is with my other grace character, he deserved better, idk i wanted to rewrite this, im not sure if I'll continue this so for now it's a one shot, it's mostly friendship - Freeform, maybe some hinted fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 19:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12733023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombbean/pseuds/Zombbean
Summary: The dark brotherhood want Gaius Maro dead- and by all rights he should be. But what’s a man to do when his life has been spared at the cost of another's injury? What’s more… why would someone want him dead? The ordeal turns out to be much more than the man had bargained for.





	Skyrim: Deadshot

**Author's Note:**

> If I'm honest this had been sitting in my Google docs for awhile now and I figured I may as well get it out so I can delete the document XD
> 
> Cute little one shot. Basically an alternate route that could have happened.  
> +++ +++ +++

The sharp cry that followed the shooting pain in the Dragonborn’s sword shoulder, was enough to send heads snapping in alarm. Reaching to her side, she managed to fumble with her breeches, and grab her spare sidearm- an Elven dagger, before tossing it with deadly accuracy into the heart of the Dark Brotherhood Assassin before her.

The once crowded bar spoke in hushed tones as the bloodied woman grew pale, her strawberry hair matted against her forehead in a cold sweat. Oceanic eyes squinting shut- she managed to break a smile over her slightly scared lips- as a Hero rightly should in the face of danger. However, the twisted dark steel that had embedded itself into her arm was enough to make her stomach churn and nauseate her with every feeble movement.

On the ground, shocked by the sudden outburst, lay a man clad in Penitus Oculatus armor- and was still very much alive thanks to the pained woman before him. One moment he was drinking and eating at the Bannered Mare, and the next…

Steely eyes widened as he processed what had just happened a mere moments prior. 

Standing, he immediately looked to the blood pooling from the young woman's arm, daring to touch the arrow a moment, causing a sickening groan to leave her throat. The reaction wasn’t good, and he made a face in response to it.

He held onto the arrow a moment before snapping off the excess as carefully as he could, to not have it jar in further.

Another hiss followed, and this caused his eyes to snap back to hers, “This will not feel pleasant to have removed… but it must be done- and rest assured I will be there for you- as I owe you my life,”

Honestly the Dragonborn had no idea who the man was. She only wanted to help another. Unfortunately, she wasn’t accustomed to taking heavy damage- as she mostly fought in archery… so the newly acquired wound was far from what she’d hoped to receive when she’d leapt up to protect the man from an arrow that would have shot him cleanly through the back of his neck.

Nodding to affirm she’d heard him, she felt a strong pair of muscular arms, lift her carefully, her injured arm facing out so as not to jostle it further. 

“I… can walk…” she mumbled beneath a heavily pained grimace.

“Mhm,” was the gruntled reply she received- as if to say, ‘I know you can,’

If she was honest with herself she didn’t mind too terribly being carried to the temple to be healed. Usually she could kill at a distance, slaying a foe in one hit- which is why she didn’t ever truly get hurt. However… surprise ambushes by Dark Brotherhood assassins are aren't exactly something you typically can plan for…

The Dragonborn looked up at the man she’d rescued to see sunkissed skin, and a bit of rugged facial hair decorating around his mouth lightly- he looked like he’d shaved maybe a few days ago- and hadn’t had time to do so again.

“...Grace,” she spoke after several moments of silence, resting her head in the crook of his neck to ease the stress of her injury.

“I’m sorry?” he spoke a bit rough, as he made his way up the small set of cobblestone stairs and towards the temple of Kynareth.

“My name…. It’s Grace,” she spoke again, as her carrier stopped a moment to carefully cross the threshold of the small water system- their last obstacle before the temple.

“Ah-” he nodded, his brows furrowing a bit- he wasn’t used to holding long conversation with women other than his fellow soldiers… and even then it was brief- although this wasn’t necessarily a leisurely conversation either… “Gaius…. Gaius Maro,” 

“Hmm…. okay… nice to meet you Gai- assss! Fuck...,” she hissed as he adjusted her a light bit to open the door, her arm moving in a way she didn’t want it too.

“Don’t be such a baby,” he scolded, though there was a warm smile over his lips as he said so- implying he’d said the words to a thousand soldiers before, “It’ll be over soon and you’ll be just fine,”

He still had the body of that assassin to deal with as well… something he desperately needed to tell his father about. But for now, he’d made a promise to stay by the young maiden’s side until the arrow was out and was on the road to a fast recovery.

“Oh dear…. What happened here?” the head priestess gasped, covering her mouth a moment before she ushered the two over to an open bench to lay her new ward upon.

“Arrow to the shoulder… sneak attack from… some assassin’s arrow meant for me,” he growled a bit, his throat edging between anger, and disappointment in himself.

“Assassin’s arrow? In Whitrun? Oh dear that’s not good at all… did you check to see if the tip was poisoned?” she asked a moment, running her hand over the other’s body so her magic could grasp the severity of the damage.

“I… No… I didn’t,” he hadn’t even thought to check and see if there was poison on the arrow!

“Nhmnn…. No… poison…. Poison hurts… a lot worse… haha…!” Grace managed to grumble out a bit of a laugh, which made the two beside her hold their breath and hope she was right.

Several moments passed, and the priestess confirmed Grace’s statement. Indeed there was not a trace of poison in her body. This meant they could begin with the removal of the arrow and the treatment of the affected area.

Grace shook her head as she burrowed her face into her free arm, his face paling at the thought, “It’s gonna hurt… really bad…”

Gaius gave a snort. If that was all she had to worry about with an arrow that deep in her sword arm then she had nothing to fear at all, “Yes, but she’ll make it quick- trust me,”

Grace shrugged her non injured shoulder in defeat, before reaching out, “Gimme your hand- I need something to squeeze while she works,”

The priestess gave a kind, but pleading look- as if asking him to abide by the others wishes for the time being. 

Gaius let out a defeated sigh, and- although begrudgingly- took the others hand in his to hold. A firm hold it was indeed. Squeezing her hand tightly around his, not a single cry left her lips. Occasional grunts, and panting was heard through the empty room they stay in, but besides that there was little else. 

The priestess managed to make a small incision into the flesh, and grab hold of the arrow head without doing much else in terms of damage. Before long she was mumbling a bit to herself, as she cast a magic heal spell on the others skin. The torn muscle, and damaged flesh seeming to mend and stitch itself together again.

Within the hour the whole ordeal was done, and the girl now lay asleep on her bed. 

Gaius sighed, rubbing his aching digits as he looked to the priestess, and nodded, “I’ll return before daybreak to check on her- keep her safe until I return,” and with that, he exited the building.

He had to get back to the tavern for a moment, and write his father. He had to let him know of what had unfolded… after all this whole ordeal was a huge mess to begin with, and with the emperor visiting? Things honestly couldn’t get much worse…

He’d found a letter on the bod of the assassin once he’d given the place a lookover. Someone had tried to set him up… but what for? Why? Who would want him dead and his name tarnished? These questions puzzled him beyond belief…

After a thorough search, he finally gave in and sat down to write his letter.

>   
> ‘Commander Maro, 
> 
> I write to you on a concerning matter. As I was patrolling as discussed, I was targeted by what has been identified as a Brotherhood Assassin. I am sure this has to do with my being head of security at the moment. We have also discovered a letter of Incrimination that I believe was to be planted on my being… 
> 
> By the gods the shame that could have been put onto you due to my negligence in being killed… I am happy that it did not go through. I owe a young maiden my life for saving me from such a fate.  
> Sincerely,
> 
> Gaius Maro, 
> 
> Your head of Security, and devoted Son’  
> 

Taking a deep breath, he sealed the letter within an envelope, and called for a courier, sending the letter on it’s way. It was getting close to daybreak… he had to make his way back to the temple before the other awoke to find him missing. He still owed her much, and still had no way of paying her back.

Once he’d arrived he stepped inside the quieted temple to see the young woman staring up through one of the higher windows of the temple. Goblet like eyes drank in everything she gazed upon, her eyes relaxed, and her body much calmer than before. It appeared as if she was thinking something over- some mysterious question or meaning. 

Letting out a sigh, the young woman continued to stare up at the moon as it’s luminescent rays poured into the dark little temple. Tucking her arms around her knees, and pulling them close, it was easy to see that her injury had completely recovered by this point- a lazy looking, light pink scar dipping from right between her neck and shoulder, down to just below her shoulder blade. The scar itself was thicker towards the middle, given the priestess had to partially dig the arrowhead from her body…. And it didn’t help that curative magics seemed to take a lot more to work on the other for some reason.

He found himself fixated on the sight of her. It… was odd. A sort of admiration he hadn’t had in awhile, very similar to what he felt for his father, but not quite the same. Maybe a sort of kinship of sorts? Either way, he was grateful.

Hearing the stirring of the other in the room, Grace looked over her shoulder to see whom the intruder was. With a smile, she turned around to the other, her tattered black shirt with the sleeves ripped off covering a majority of her upper body, “Hey big guy,” 

“Good twilight,” he nodded, looking around the empty room in a nervous, and awkward silence.

“Hey, sorry about pushing you so hard earlier, but given the circumstances I figured you wouldn’t mind much,” she shrugged, as she stood up and rotated her slightly sore arm a but, “I just kinda… acted I guess?”

Gaius stayed silent as she spoke- mostly out of respect. He felt rude to interrupt, but also hadn’t the slightest of what to say.

“So I guess I’ll be heading out soon, I don’t really stay in once place very long… got dragons to slay, money to save… you know how it goes!” she laughed, and her voice seemed to echo in the darkness.

“Wait- I… have a request of you,” he dared to ask it- though for the moment it was urgent.

“Hmm? Yeah? What is it?” she asked- continuing to adorn her leather armor, and adjusting her weaponry.

“As you know there was an attack on me at the Bannered Mare… I have reason to suspect they’ll be back- but not only for me, but also you. I believe that an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood may want to get revenge for a fallen comrade… no matter how dark and vile- so, my simple request is this- stay by my side until we can figure out exactly what’s going on,” it almost seemed like more of a demand than that of a request, but then again Gaius was never a man that asked much of anyone- always giving orders to his fellow soldiers.

“Hmm, I’d love to stay and chat buddy, but I can’t… see you have your missions, and I have mine- I can’t just sit around and wait- no… cross that- hope, for something to happen so you can solve your mystery, all the while my own goals go unmet,” she nodded, shifting her bag a bit on her back so it would be easy to carry- which it was given she didn’t use a shield.

“Then let me rephrase that- you will stay here until we can uncover this investigation, or we’ll be forced to lock you up,” there was a dangerous tone to his voice.

“So what you’re telling me… is you’ll lock up the gal that saved your life?” she frowned a bit, crossing her arms over her chest.

He flinched, but only in his face. Those words stung a little bit, mostly because they were true. She did save his life, and this would seem most ungrateful to anyone who caught wind of it… but it was just too important for a soul like her to vanish without a trace when she was a key witness!

Pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefingers, he let out a deep breath, “Listen, I don’t want to have to do this but we have very little options… can we at least compromise?”  
After a moment of thought, she gave a nod, “Fair enough- how’s this- you go on patrol anyhow, correct?”

The Head of Security nodded his head to affirm her statement.

“Well, how’s this- I’ll travel with you- we’ll go from hold to hold so that I might be able to complete my quest as well? Fair enough?” she held out a hand as if to affirm this agreement with a handshake.

Looking from her hand to her eyes, he let out a small puff of air. Taking her hand in his he gave a firm shake, his eyes never leaving hers, “Fine, but if you run off without me somewhere…. We’re in seriously hot water,”

She nodded, “Only places I’ll leave you alone is the bath, and toilet breaks,”

He scoffed at the comment, a small smile lacing his lips.

“So in the morning we leave, yeah?” Grace turned her head slightly to the side as she released his hand, “We’ll head out when the sun rest above the horizon,”

Gaius had only ever taken orders from officers prior to the event. But, just this once, he’d listen to a civilian. Something in his gut told him they knew just what to do.


End file.
